Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Hong Kong: Task Forces

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the (1) membership, (2) purpose, and (3) timescale for the work, of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hong Kong Task Force.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The China Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office deals with our relations with China, including Hong Kong. In light of the ongoing situation in Hong Kong, and our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy enshrined in the Joint Declaration, we have increased the number of FCO staff in this Department and keep this under regular review.

Liberia: Politics and Government

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the political and social situation in Liberia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government is concerned by the deteriorating political and social environment in Liberia, resulting in an increase in protests and a fractious relationship between the media and government. The UK supports freedom of expression as a fundamental human right alongside freedom of the media. We regularly raise our concerns around civic and political issues directly with the Liberian government. Liberia has been named as one of the Lonely Planet’s Top 10 countries to visit in 2020. The potential to overcome significant poverty, economic and governance challenges is therefore clear. We stand ready in friendship to support Liberia in its efforts to become a more peaceful, stable and democratic country enjoyed by all Liberians and visitors.

Wales Office

European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill: Wales

lord morris of aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether agreement has been reached with the Welsh Government on which parts of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill require the Welsh Assembly's consent in accordance with the Sewel Convention.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: The UK Government has strengthened and enhanced devolution in Wales. We are fully committed to abiding by the Sewel Convention and associated practices. We have sought legislative consent from the National Assembly for Wales for certain provisions of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill in line with this. We will continue to discuss with the Welsh Government the clauses for which Assembly consent is sought.

European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill: Wales

lord morris of aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the proposed "Henry VIII" clauses in clause 21 of the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill; and whether the views of the Welsh Government have been sought on the powers within that Bill to amend the Government of Wales Act 2000 by regulation as opposed to primary legislation.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: Clause 21 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill would allow the UK Government to meet fully the obligations set out in the Northern Ireland Protocol. The “Henry VIII” power in the clause could be used where necessary to amend primary legislation to ensure arrangements required in the Northern Ireland Protocol are operational and to implement the requirements set out in the Protocol. In response to concerns raised by the Devolved Administrations, clause 18 of the Bill (Main power in connection with other separation issues) has been restricted so that powers under this clause cannot be used to amend the devolution acts, including the Government of Wales Act 2006. The Government is working to establish whether restricting the powers in clause 21 in a similar way would mean the obligations in the Protocol could still be met. Subject to the outcome of this work, the Government would be open to imposing the restriction by amending the Bill during its passage.

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Military Intervention

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the British Armed Forces have, or are intended to have, any involvement in controlling the al-Omar oilfield in Syria.

baroness goldie: The UK remains fully committed to the Global Coalition against Daesh and we must not lose sight of the threat that they still pose.We are in close contact with the US and other allies regarding the next stage of the campaign against Daesh in Syria but we are clear that our key aim is to defeat this evil terrorist group.

Home Office

Slavery: Victims

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring the law in respect of the treatment and care of modern slavery victims in England and Wales in line withthe standards in force in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery; ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and that those responsible are prosecuted. In July 2018, the Government commissioned an independent review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, led by Frank Field MP, Maria Miller MP and Baroness Butler-Sloss to ensure our legislative framework remains truly world-leading. The Government welcomed the findings of the Independent Review and has accepted or partially accepted the majority of the Review’s recommendations.The Government also recognises the importance of publishing statutory guidance to ensure that victims are provided with the support they need and deserve. We have made significant progress in developing statutory guidance for England and Wales under Section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, setting out the indicators someone may be a victim of modern slavery, the support to which victims are entitled, and the process for determining whether someone is a victim. This will be published in the coming months.

Northern Ireland Office

Social Security Benefits: Northern Ireland

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written AnswerbyLord Duncan of Springbank on 8 October (HL17821) and the report of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland Review of Welfare Mitigation Schemes, published in March, which stated that "in the absence of a functioning Assembly it is considered that the only viable option for providing the legal authority for the Department to make a mitigation payment beyond 2020 would be for the Westminster Parliament to bring forward appropriate legislation", what stepsthey are taking to bring forward such legislation.

lord duncan of springbank: The bespoke mitigation arrangements for Northern Ireland were agreed by the Executive following the “A Fresh Start, the Stormont Agreement and Implementation Plan”. I understand that the present uncertainty over the future of these schemes has been a cause of considerable concern, especially for those in receipt of the top up payments. Neither the Northern Ireland Office nor its Ministers can instruct the Northern Ireland Civil Service in the devolved welfare space or direct spending from the NI block grant. We have however, following the Executive Formation Act, provided departments with additional guidance on the exercise their functions in the public interest in the absence of a restored NI Executive. And of course, we continue to work tirelessly to facilitate the restoration of locally accountable political leadership. I am grateful to the Noble Baroness for raising this matter.

Treasury

Social Security: Self-employed

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs provides rebates for freelance workers in the EU27 who may incur double deductions of social security as a result of the invalidity of A1 certificates in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

the earl of courtown: If the UK leaves the EU with an agreement then there will be no changes to social security coordination during the implementation period ending on 31 December 2020. The Government is working to protect UK workers in a no deal scenario by seeking an EU-wide approach or reciprocal bilateral arrangements with Member States to transitionally continue the current social security coordination rules in full until the end of December 2020. Where arrangements are put in place, individuals, employers and freelancers will continue to pay social security contributions in one country at a time.

Public Works Loan Board: Interest Rates

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have madeof the effect of theone per cent interest rate rise on thePublic Works Loan Board50-year new maturity loan.

the earl of courtown: In raising interest rates for new loans from the Public Works Loan Board, the Treasury assessed the potential impact on local government capital plans. Local authorities continue to benefit from very favourable interest rates on Public Works Loan Board loans. This increase returned Public Works Loan Board rates to levels that were available in 2018.The Government will continue to work with individual authorities on a case-by-case basis if they raise concerns over their financial position.

Ministerial Powers

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasionssince 24 July Permanent Secretaries or Senior Civil Servants required ministerial direction to act, broken down by Government Department.

the earl of courtown: Ministerial directions are published on gov.uk. There have been no ministerial directions since 24th July 2019.